Mail or letter drop.



PATENTED FEB. 3, 1903.

E. G.'GORDON. MAIL 0R LETTERDRQP.'

APPLICATION FILED AUGL14, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTORl M,

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES.

UN'TTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVIN G. GORDON, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

IVIAIL OR LETTER DROP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,581, dated February 3, 1903.

Application filed August 14, 1902. Serial No. 1191652. (No model.)

T0 all wiz/0772, t may concern:

Beit known that LEDWIN G. GORDON,a citizen of the United States,residing in Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail or Letter Drops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description ot' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ot this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus of the kind in which the movable iiap or closure of a mail-slit or inail-drop is combined with an indicator,pref erably in the form of an audible alarm, in such manner that when the flap or closure is moved in order to introduce mail through the opening which it controls the indicator will be operated, so as to call attention to the fact that mail has been deposited through the maildrop.

According to the preferred form of the invention a common element is employed to actuate the flap or closure and the indicator, as will appear in the accompanying drawings and the following description.

The invention Willbe found fullyillustrated in said drawings, wherein corresponding characters of reference indicate like parts, and wherein- Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a door,showing in position therein the said preferred form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line to in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line y y in Fig. l.

The door a is provided, as usual, with the slit or opening b, through which the letters, dac., are adapted to be introduced. The outer face of the door is also provided with a recess c, with which the slit b communicates.

In the recesss c is arranged a case comprising sections d and c, having opposed openings f, alined with the slit h. The case-section d, which is the body portion of the case, is in the forni of a rectangular box having its main Wall extended laterally on all sides, as at g, to form a flange for receiving screws h, whereby the case is secured in place to the door. Vithinthe case-section d snugly fits the casesection e, which consists of a plate having the opposed edge portionsf thereof bent off toward the front wall of the case-section d. In the portions rof the case-section e are mounted the ends of a pair of parallel guide-rods j. These guide-rods being vertically disposed act to impart a true vertical rectilineal movement to a iiap or closure 7c, which, as seen'iu Fig. 3, is adapted in its lowest position to close the passage through the slit l). By mounting the rods] in the manner described the walls of the case-section d, which are 0pposed to the ends of said rods, act as means for coniining the latter against vertical movement.

l is a squared spindle which extends clear through the case as well as the door, the bearings for this spindle being formed by the shank portion of a key m, which its outer end carries and which is journaled in the front,

wall of the case-section CZ, and by a washer n, having a squared opening to fit the spindle and journaled in a plate o, which is secured against the inner face of the door. On the squared portion of the spindle are secured cranks p and q, the former being within the case and the latter en the inner end of the spindle.

r is a lever which is fulcrumed within the case on a stud s, projecting from the casesection e, one end of this lever projecting beneath a lugzf on the top middle portion of the closure 7c and the other end being provided with apin u, engaginganotch at the end of the crank p.

n is another lever which is fulcrurned on a pin w, projecting from the inner face of the door and having one end provided with a notch as, receiving the pin w on the crank q, and the other end adapted to engage the operating member y of an audible alarm a, secured to the door.

Itis thought that the operation Will be readily understood. When it is desired to deposit mail through the door, the key m is turned to the left, thus actuating levers r and n, the former of which raises the closure k, 4so that the passage through the slitis opened, and the latter effecting the setting off of the alarm, so that attention is called to ICO it Will coact With the closure to return the key4 to its initial position.

1 is a frame Which may be secured on the outer face of the case-section d and which may receive an inscription bearing the number of the dwelling and the name of its occupant on the door of which the device is secured, 2 and 3 being suitable openings through which the said inscription may be seen.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the part having the letter-slit, of a movable closure controlling said slit, an indicator, a rotary spindle, cranks on said spindle, and levers operatively connecting the one one of the cranks with the indicating device and the other the other of the cranks With the closure, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the part having the letter-slit, of a vertically-sliding closure controlling said slit, an indicator, a spindle, cranks arranged on said spindle, and parallel levers operatively connecting the one one ofthe cranks With the indicating device and the other the other of the cranks with the closure, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the part having the letter-slit, of a casing having openings coinciding with said slit and set into said part, a vertically-sliding closure controlling the Way through said slit and openings and arranged in said casing, a spindle penetrating said part and the casing, an indicator, cranks on said spindle, and parallel levers operatively connecting lthe one one of the cranks with the indicating device and the other the other of the cranks With the closure, su hstantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of August, 1902.

EDWIN G. GORDON. Witnesses:

JOHN W. STEWARD, ROBERT J. PoLLI'r'r. 

